Ohio Senate on the Brink of an Income Tax Increase

Ohio's budget battle continues.  The Ohio Senate, controlled 21-12 by the Republicans may be on the brink of passing an $844 million dollar income tax increase.  There are four Senate Republicans trying to find a fifth Republican to join them in voting with the Democrats to pass this income tax increase.  

This budget standoff has been going for over a month now.  Gov. Strickland starting floating the idea months ago, arguing that he wanted to freeze the income tax cuts implemented in 2005.  Though the Governor has been trying to sell this income tax increase as a "freeze" in the rate, it is actually a tax increase and it is disingenuous to call it anything else.  

In an October 29th article in the Columbus Dispatch, Senate President Bill Harris said, "all of the small businesses that I've talked to, including my sons', feel that it is absolutely a tax increase.  We feel that especially small business would be very adversely impacted, and the result of that is to eliminate jobs.  Any job that we have we need to hold onto with both hands and do anything we can to protect it."  Americans for Tax Reform agrees that this is a tax increase and encourages the Republican controlled Senate to reject HB 318 and avoid what is an $844 million income tax increase over the next biennium.  Senator Harris and any of his counterparts that are thinking of voting for this tax increase should wholeheartedly reject it. 

To see a recent press release from ATR opposing this income tax increase, click here.

Photo credit: thoth188

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